The present invention relates to a hydraulic motion control or pilot valve and lever assembly for controlling the transmission and steering of a work vehicle such as a crawler tractor, articulated wheel loader or like construction vehicle. The invention particularly relates to a motion control valve and lever assembly that is compact and employs a single lever that is mounted directly to a valve and may be moved to activate three different valve functions.
Typical control valves and lever assemblies for construction vehicles such as a crawler tractor or articulated wheel loader may comprise of multiple levers and complex linkage systems that link the levers to various valves used to control the transmission and steering of the vehicle. The linkage systems between the levers and respective valves often require a multitude of moving parts that can add considerable cost and weight to the entire assembly and which often produce a greater "free play" in the mechanism whereby the response of the mechanism may be sluggish and movement of the control levers may become difficult.
The present invention seeks to overcome some of the deficiencies of the prior art by providing a compact assembly with few moving parts and that employs a single control lever to effectuate control over the steering and transmission of a construction vehicle. The present invention further provides an assembly that minimizes the resistance that may be applied to the control lever as the control lever is moved.